By David Booth, Postmedia News

Originally published: March 10, 2011

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Ronda, Spain • Let’s forget all this sporting car (rather than sports car) nonsense — the GT condescension or the backhanded “gentleman’s express” compliment people try to foist on Aston Martin. All are meant to be mildly disparaging; to diminish the Aston’s appeal as somehow lesser than, say, a pur sang Porsche or a Ferrari. The implication is that an Aston — any Aston — is an old person’s car; the exotic for which one settles when the passion fades and Viagra becomes a necessary medication rather than a party favour.

Bull patootie!

That may indeed have been true back when the DB9 was new and the Vantage boasted but 4.3 litres from its Jaguar-inspired V8, but, as anyone who’s spent even five minutes in a DBS can attest, the days of “soft” Astons are long past.

That’s a sentiment never more true than with the hoary old English marque’s 2011 Vantage S. As with all of Gaydon’s cars, the new S version is built on Aston’s VH platform (underpinning all the company’s cars from the short-wheelbase Vantage (2,600 millimetres) to the exquisitely elegant Rapide (2,989 mm) but massaged within an inch of its life for maximum performance.

For instance, Ian Minards, director of product development, says that to eke the S’s 430 horsepower (up from the base car’s 420 hp), the 4.7L V8 had its ignition timing advanced to within a smidgen of piston-destroying detonation. Not only that, Aston spins the V8 to a semi-stratospheric 7,300 rpm, the very limit for piston reliability (when the rev limiter cuts in hard) and proper lower-end oil flow.

It’s a good thing since Aston’s V8 definitely likes to be spun high. The Vantage S’s 361 pound-feet of torque arrives at only 5,000 rpm and, although Aston claims 76% of that figure is available as low as 1,500 rpm, maximum motivation still requires high revs (unlike Aston’s 6.0L V12, which is a veritable torque monster) and frequent rowing of the new seven-speed sequential automated manual gearbox. Flip the paddles fast enough, however, and the Vantage S will scoot to 100 kilometres an hour in about 4.5 seconds. That may not sound exactly Porsche-crushing, but remember that the Vantage benefits from neither the tractive abilities of all-wheel drive nor the 911 Turbo’s computer-controlled Launch mode. Make no mistake about it — the Vantage S feels fast.

It will also hurtle this smallest of Astons around Spain’s famed Ascari circuit with something beyond polite alacrity. Spin the V8 to seven grand and those eight big 91-mm pistons will push the Vantage close to its reported 305-km/h top speed. Combine that with delicate throttle control and precise shifting from the new paddle-shifted seven-speed transmission and you have a powertrain worthy of the Aston Martin nameplate.

The Vantage S’s chassis is second to none in the Aston lineup, at least for hooning around hairpins. Unlike the more expensive Virage and DBS, which sport five-position adaptive suspensions, the Vantage has non-

adjustable shock absorbers. But, true to its sporting intent, said suspension is calibrated firmly. The bolstered suspension makes for minimal body roll even when hustling around Ascari’s 26 turns at a pace that would make even Porsches sweat. Though it wears the same 19-inch rims as the rest of the Vantage range, Aston has widened the tires — ultra-sticky Bridgestone Potenza RE050s — to P245/50 front and P285/35 rear for

increased traction.

Even better is that the new-found grip, along with the quicker power steering box (15:1 ratio rather than the standard Vantage’s 17:1), allows controlled drifting of both front and rear tires — at least when the traction nanny is switched off. The Vantage’s natural tendency is to understeer, but, on the track, at least, the S can only be forced to push the front end in off-camber hairpins. In most other corners — from long sweepers to seriously high-speed kinks — the S steers quite linearly. This is one Aston that is as competent on the track as its German competitors. This shouldn’t be a surprise since Aston has twice won its class at Le Mans with its DBR9.

The S’s one track-oriented weakness — and it’s hardly a real-life weakness — is that the brakes, despite being upgraded to six-piston calipers and 380-mm front discs, will fade under severe torture. And torture the poor things I did, as Ascari is truly a high-speed circuit with frequent prolonged heavy braking. Minards notes that Aston could have installed the DBS’s carbon-ceramic discs, but it felt that the Vantage’s relatively light weight (1,610 kilograms), didn’t warrant the upgrade. For all but the most severe duty, he’s right.

The Vantage S’s more significant fault, however, is the aforementioned seven-speed electronically controlled manual. Unlike most such automated manuals that feature twin clutches, the Graziano (of Turin, Italy and supplier of the new McLaren MP4-12C’s transmission) gearbox uses but a single clutch. On the race track, its shifts are sufficiently speedy, at least when it’s in Sport mode. But, on the road, like other such single-clutch manumatics (as in the BMW M5 and Audi R8), there’s a noticeable hesitation when shifting. It’s better than the six-speed it replaces, but, in Automatic mode, the manumatic is balky. For normal driving, I almost always used the paddle shifters as the automatic setup was too distracting.

According to Minards, Aston chose this particular transaxle (mounted in the rear) because the dual-clutch version was too heavy — 50 kilograms more — and too large to fit into the Vantage’s chassis. Unfortunately, if you’re looking for more sophisticated transmission performance, you have to move up to the larger DB9, Virage or DBS, which all feature a smooth-shifting ZF six-speed automatic. It’s also worth noting that the McLaren’s seven-speed is also a transaxle and features smoother-shifting dual clutches.

One possible drawback — at least for lumbar-challenged drivers like me — is that the sports seats that will be offered elsewhere in the world are not available in North America. Although the sport seats are well bolstered and save 10 kg of dead weight (of the total 40 kg Minards claims the S package reduces over the standard Vantage), they’re not adjustable for tilt. You either fit in them or — as in my case — you don’t. Vantage Ss destined for Canada will come with standard seats; therefore, a Canadian S will weigh only 30 kg less than a base Vantage.

From a price standpoint, the Vantage S is something of a bargain in Aston’s lineup, costing only $17,505 more than the standard (with Sportshift transmission) Vantage’s $141,495. (The coupe retails for $159,000, while the Roadster convertible starts at US$174,300). Indeed, that small price hike makes me think that most shopping for a Vantage will opt for the S version. By Aston standards, the upgrades are well worth it.

New Virage no mirage

At the other end of Aston Martin’s price range is the new V12-powered Virage. Expected to cost around $225,000 for the coupe version — second-highest in price only to the $309,530 DBS — the newest Aston Martin in every way slots in between the base DB9 and the top-of-the-line DBS.

For instance, the Virage’s V12 peaks at 490 horsepower, splitting the 470 hp and 510 hp available from Aston’s other 6.0-litre 2+2s. Ditto the suspension package in terms of stiffness and the body, which sports more aggressive fender flares than the DB9 but is not quite as dramatic as the overtly sporty DBS.

However, being the middle child does not mean middling performance. Aston promises superior road holding for the base car thanks to a second-generation Adaptive Damping System suspension that more succinctly delineates its Normal and Sport settings.

Like the other DB models, the 2+2 Virage sits on a long-wheelbase version of Aston’s VH platform and features a ZF-produced six-speed Touchtronic II automatic transmission mounted in a rear transaxle. Like the more expensive DBS, the Virage also comes standard with high-performance Carbon Ceramic Matric brakes mated to powerful six-piston Brembo front calipers, promising powerful, fade-free performance.

Inside, Aston promises that every Virage undergoes 70 hours of handcrafted stitching, moulding and carving to created the hedonistic cabin (seven separate hides are needed for the interior leather alone) expected from a top-range Aston.

Both seats and doors feature a hand-stitched leather pinstripe that matches the exterior’s chosen paint colour. As well, a new Garmin satellite navigation system displays high-tech graphics via a 6.5-inch pop-up screen.